Ten Fictional Pieces of Technology That Actually Exist in Real Life

Whenever you watch a movie or TV show or play a video game set in the future, you constantly ask yourself, “damn, when is life going to be like this?” The answer? Sooner than you think. Probably. Maybe.

A lot of the “fictional” tech we see in futuristic games, movies and TV shows actually does exist in some capacity in the real world. Granted, it’s nowhere near perfect or practical on most occasions, but hey, at least we’re trying right? Well, except for that whole space travel thing.

Check out the future below:

1. Touchable Holograms

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-P1zZAcPuw&feature=player_embedded

It’s the hopefully inevitability of 3D tech (which I current loathe), the ability to touch and interact with images. First we have to perfect hologram technology (a long way away) that we can see without glasses, and then we have to figure out this little trick, where you can actually interact with the hologram for functionality.

The mainstreaming of such tech is probably 20-30 years away, but at least we’re getting there. I’ll be touching a virtual stripper and getting virtually slapped in my living room in no time.

2. Invisibility Cloak

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPVQal851U

Alright, I know this technology is being developed, but I’m a little suspicious of this video in particular. Yes, it does feature Asians, who are notoriously good at inventing crazy shit like this, but I have my doubts.

But the tech is out there, being developed for obvious military application. Essentially there’s a camera which projects what it sees behind into the front, and I’ve also hear about a light-bending fiber that produces Predator-like results.

3. Exoskeleton

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSo6C_gE4w8&feature=channel

Pretty soon we can transform our workers in the Starcraft SCVs we wish they could be. This exoskeleton tech strengthens lifting ability of an average human to an enormous degree, and will be useful until we invent robots who can just do all this shit without a human in side of it.

Other cool applications of this I’ve seen are motorized joints that can give paralyzed people the ability to walk. Now, THAT’S the future.

4. Dexterous Robots

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KxjVlaLBmk

The next two entries are what will bring the robot apocalypse down on our heads. This video is wicked awesome, but it’s terrifying to think what could happen if you gave that thing a knife or gun and the ability to think for itself. Terminator, here we come.

5. Fembots

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sjV_lxSVQo

But if you’d rather go the Battlestar Galactica route, here is the closest thing we have to a sex robot so far. Sure, it’s at the bottom of the Uncanny Valley, but the tech is very impressive, and I’d be very curious to see what something like this looks and acts like in 10 years.

Never fear, your robot girlfriend is coming nerds!

6. Flying Cars

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElS9BKSsezw&feature=related

We’ve seen them in practically every vision of the future in film, TV and video games, but they just never seem to get here. This video proves that they do exist, the problem is they’re just wildly impractical. Then you’d have to make sky-highways annnnd it’s 200 years until we look like Coruscant. If that.

7. Jet Pack

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gcurwcPs3U

Most recently the jet pack returned to popularity because of Kick-Ass, and as you can see here, the tech does work, though you are more likely to die than have fun. I also have a hard time believing it would work if you strapped two Gatling guns on it.

8. War Machine Suit

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSaxtNd5QZ0

Speaking of Gatling guns, here’s a full scale War Machine suit that yes, is cosplay, but give this kid $30M worth of priceless metal, and he could build the same thing but bulletproof and lightweight. I’m sure he could even get the gun to work too. Wrist rockets sold separately.

9. Mission Impossible Mask

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srcN8Ctvvs8&feature=player_embedded

I’ve featured this on the site not too long ago, but it is still creeping me out today. So we’re not exactly perfect on the look yet, but surely this is a revolutionary advancement in bank robbing technology as it. Will we be able to perfectly impersonate faces someday? Hopefully, and then all I need is the Brad Pitt body to match, and my plan will be complete… Errr.

10. Lightning Cannon

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R617vPlqinI

OK, I don’t know what the hell this thing is, but lightning weapons have popped up and video games and movies forever, and this looks like that. A lightning gun. A LIGHTNING. GUN. Goddamn you don’t get much cooler than that.

About The Author

Paul

I think I'm a part of the first generation of journalists to skip print media entirely, and I've learned a lot these last few years at Forbes. My work has appeared on TVOvermind, IGN, and most importantly, a segment on The Colbert Report at one point.

http://fngdraab.tumblr.com Raab

Now we just need one of those devices from Metal Gear Solid 2 that Fortune has that makes bullets fly away from her.